Ebooks: A step by step guide

Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 5:21 pm

Hey guys so there has been quite a few people asking about how to read text files on ebook reading devices recently (such as the kindle) so i thought i would put together a guide to point all you bookworms in the right direction.

I will be using the kindle as an example in this guide, as it is the most popular ebook reader device. The first thing you will need to understand about the kindle is that it is more than capable of reading pretty much any text file you can throw at it, as long as you can convert it into a format it can "see" or "read." The preferred format for an ebook on the kindle is .mobi - so i will be using that as an example.

Lets say you have a .pdf file for example, and you want to be able to load it onto your kindle. First, we need a conversion tool to help us convert the file into a "readable" .mobi format.

I always use Calibre, as it is user friendly and quick. It just works. Get it here - choose your OS...calibre is available for MAC, Windows and Linux.

Right, I will be using Lisa Gardners book "The Killing Hour" for this example, as ive recently downloaded a few books of hers. The file is in .pdf format, which sometimes can behave in a strange manner on the kindle. We are going to be converting it into .mobi format. Load up Calibre first of all, and then you need to click the "Add Books" button:

Now just select the file from the location it is stored on your computer:

The file will now have loaded into the Calibre window. Next, select the file and click "Convert Books:"

The next window is where the magic happens. The dropdown menu at the top right is called "Input Format" and has the .pdf format selected. Now go across to the "Output Format" dropdown menu and select .mobi from the list. We are now ready. (Please note you can also edit extra info such as author, titles, dates etc if necessary.) When you are ready, press OK. The window will close and return you to Calibre's main window.

If you have done everything correctly, there will be a Jobs: 1 message spinning away in the bottom right of the main window:

The converting process can vary in length, depending on the file size etc, but generally lasts about 30-60 secs at very most.
Once it has finished, the old .pdf file will have been replaced with the new converted .mobi file!

Now the file is converted, the rest is easy:

Turn on your kindle.
Connect it to your computer with the USB cable.
Drag the converted .mobi file into the kindles "documents" folder.
Use the "safely remove mass storage device" option to disconnect the kindle correctly.
Wait for the kindles green light to stop flashing (the one next to the power slide switch)

Now unplug the USB, and navigate to the kindles library on the device...you now have a fully functioning ebook ready to enjoy! Simples!

Hope this has been of some use guys, thanks for reading Wink

*PLEASE NOTE* It is of course still possible to use .pdf files with the kindle, and indeed other ebook readers. The .mobi format just works better. Some ebook readers work best with .epub formats too, if this is the case, just select the "output format" as .epub in Calibre.

Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 5:22 pm

Thread stickied and rep added. Congrats.

Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 2:38 pm

Cheers Pac! Cool

Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 2:53 pm

I prefer books but .......... good helpful guide

Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 5:55 pm

Nice guide 1024.
Thank you for taking the trouble. I am sure it will be of great help to those that need it.

Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 10:40 pm

Hey thanks for that 1024gig, thought I would get the oldies a Kindle for xmas, and this guide makes it easy for me to get some ebooks going for them, thanks again for your time and effort Very Happy

Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2011 1:10 am

No worries Scotty mate, glad to help. Its really easy once you do it the first time. Any probs though just PM me Wink

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 11:10 pm

HI I just received a Kobo ereader for christmas. And I am still getting to know my kobo lol I down loaded calibre and got a few books but for the life of me i can't get them on tho the Kobo Ereader any help would be great I am using a macbook if that helps.Thanks

Jenn

Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 5:38 pm

Yup, Calibre is great, use it daily as my laptop is my ereader. Could be improved by asking which text should be tabled as author,etc, when adding books from a directory...oh the editing.
Real problem is a genuine dearth of decent titles or seeders for same. But I do have 4500 books indexed in Calibre and that should be good for a while.

Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 7:29 pm

Sticky moved to new E-Books forum.